DH18 has died

3 May 2023

My heart is broken. To those who delayed his rescue saying nothing was wrong…Please note that the AEF says that this was “a preventable loss”.

I have no words. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to rescue this baby. Soar high DH18! Maybe your life will not be in vain. Maybe a remedy will come with a blanket permit for certified wildlife rehabbers to get immediate help to those nests with fishing line or baling twine endangering the life of the raptors.

12 Comments

    1. Thank you, Linda. My tears simply will not stop. I hope that something can be done so that help can come to the nests when this situation arises without having to go through the world of permits. We need to work on this and get the law changed for all the little bittys in the future in memory of DH18.

  1. Akane says:

    Thank you for the information.
    I am saddened now.
    Tonight, I too am in mourning.

    1. I was so sorry to send out that news and almost could not believe it…we are all so sad. It is difficult seeing any living thing suffer..thank you, Akane.

  2. Tears… I’m so very sorry to hear this sad news, Mary Ann. If only the DH people had not been in denial but had instead taken immediate action. If only they had used this opportunity to help educate fishermen/women about the dangers of not disposing of their fishing line properly. They could have done something constructive but instead chose to pretend that nothing was wrong. I hope that DH18 will always be remembered and perhaps his death will somehow save the lives of future birds of prey.

    1. Thank you, Betty. There needs to be some good come out of this. There are so many challenges these little ones – and their parents – face. We can’t see rodenticide quickly but we can see fishing line and baling twine. Human causes of injury. There needs to be a complete system override on this issue with a blanket permit for all wildlife rehabbers and they could certainly do it in the name of DH18! Then his death would not have been in vain.

    1. Thanks, Michael. It is very sad especially when it was so bloody unnecessary!

  3. Alison says:

    Those two words sum it up perfectly: PREVENTABLE LOSS.

    1. Yes, sadly. I still get mad when I see the whitewashing of the timing of the rescue. Yes, they could have gone in the week prior. Communication and will lacking along with abuse of those citing the issues. While it might be time to move forward, it is time to come to grips and realise that had the boots been up that tree in 3 days this tragedy would not have happened. A Blanket permit allowing for rescues in this case is the answer.

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